With the New Year well underway, we are happy to see many communities across North America offering our Mothers Circle program for the first time. One new community was recently highlighted in the Jewish Chronicle of Pittsburgh.

As one of the 55 communities that has brought the program to their city, Pittsburgh has taken the curriculum we designed and added a few of their own twists, like sponsoring a Jewish tour of the area. Zipora Gur, director of advanced education at the Agency for Jewish Learning, which operates the program, said she introduced participants to “the day schools and to the kosher store and to Pinskers and to the JCC.” The group is also going to put together a Jewish cookbook.

Funded through a grant from the Fine Foundation and the United Jewish Federation, these women are dedicated to raising Jewish children in spite of the challenges they face. Gur puts it best in the article when she says “Those women are heroes, they chose to raise Jewish children and we need to give them all the help so they will know and make Jewish traditions.”

Indeed they are heroes, and we applaud the efforts of everyone involved – both facilitators and participants. The early success of the program in Pittsburgh even has Gur thinking it will expand to other suburbs. Of course we will be there every step of the way offering guidance and support, and we are positive Pittsburgh’s efforts will lead to a stronger and more vibrant Jewish community.